The Pentagon's second-in-command didn't know Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized when she took over his duties

• Fallout continues after the news that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was quietly hospitalized.
• Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks didn't know about Austin's condition when she took over.

The backlash over the hushed hospitalization of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is continuing fiercely, drawing concerns about open lines of communication among the nation's top chains of command.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was not told of Austin's hospitalization when she took over his duties on January 2, 2024, one day after he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, CNN reported, citing two officials in the defense department.

The Pentagon said in a press release on January 5 that Austin was admitted to the hospital on the evening of New Year's Day "for complications following a recent elective medical procedure."

Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico for the first week of the year, was not told of Austin's status until January 4 — the same day that President Joe Biden was informed by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, CNN reported previously.

Some defense officials were informed on January 2 that Austin would be on leave for the week, though they were not immediately told that he was actually in the intensive care unit, according to CNN.

On January 6, Austin released a statement thanking the hospital staff and his colleagues for their support. He said he is "on the mend" and looking "forward to returning to the Pentagon soon."

"I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better," Austin's statement said. "But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure."